


a far cry

by hamsterkwon



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Death Battles, Fluff, I'm Sorry, Killer Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups, M/M, Multi, Mystery (?), Not exactly happy, Stressed Lee Jihoon | Woozi, Team as Family, Yoon Jeonghan-centric, all the main ships, chapters in the beginning organized as ships to make things easier, i started this over a year ago and it sucks??, i wrote these in very short chapters so i will combine them, idk i'll add tags as i go, sorry for the shitty summary i suck, starts out in the normal universe, the start is boring im sorry :(
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-06-07 02:07:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15208487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamsterkwon/pseuds/hamsterkwon
Summary: "Okay, relax, relax. I was just playing. You two need to loosen up." Seungcheol grins, jogging after Wonwoo and leaving Joshua to follow. Jisoo eyes Seungcheol's bandages, seeing that they were already beginning to become soaked with blood - He sighs. Seungcheol didn't act like someone who had just killed a man at all.-In which Jeonghan wakes up one day and his entire world had changed.





	1. i.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hihi! this is a kind of shitty fic that i wrote on a trip like over a year ago and so i decided to post it for fun xD i was a smol please pardon the bad writing
> 
> since i wrote these in really really short chapters i'll combine them to make longer ones
> 
> warnings will be at the beginning of each chapter :)
> 
> warnings: nothing much besides jeonghan being kind of irritable and lots of gay HAHA

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

   


"Seungcheol, when will you actually remember things?" Jeonghan was irritated. "I reminded you twice to bring my jacket today, but you forgot again."

Turning, Seungcheol blinks a couple of times, his thick eyelashes batting, before something in him clicks. He quickly sheds his own jacket while flashing a sheepish smile, "Sorry. You can have mine if you're cold," He offers.

"I don't want yours," Scoffing, the boy with angel looks pushes the generous hands away. "I want mine. The point is: You never care about what I say."

Seungcheol blinks again, pausing shortly.

"Jeonghan, come on," He lets out a small laugh, "We both know that's not true."

"It is," Jeonghan feels his voice catch in his throat. He turns away from Seungcheol - Was he going to cry? The long haired boy never cries. Especially not because of Seungcheol's small mistakes. Everything just wasn't going well for him. Jeonghan was tired. He hasn't had more than 4 hours of sleep per night in a long while. "You don't bother about me anymore."

Their leader looked puzzled. "But I do," He furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Really, I do. Look at me," Seungcheol reaches out a hand to take hold of Jeonghan's chin, but the angel hides it away.

"Are you... Crying?"

"No."

A deep breath.

"..Look... I'm sorry, kay? I'll try to-"

"-No, _I'm_ sorry." Jeonghan's sudden tears did not live to spill out of his eyes. "This is stupid."

_"Coups-hyung, Jeonghan-hyung!"_

Jeonghan could recognize Chan's voice anywhere.

_"We're leaving!"_

They were the only ones remaining. He takes a last glance at Seungcheol and leaves the holding room to join the others, the older boy trailing quietly along behind him. Jeonghan knew he was being senseless. He pockets his hands as they step out of the building into the chilly parking lot - The anger from Seungcheol's forgetfulness threatening to resurface as the cold numbed his fingers and cheeks.

Maybe he was being senseless, but he was becoming more and more weary with each passing day. Yes, Seungcheol was a busy man. As the leader of 13 membered boy group, responsibilities pile up like the aftermaths of recurring snowstorms.

He quickly made his way over to one of the three cars they were assigned, tugging the door open and slipping inside the warm vehicle. He knew Seungcheol would not follow. Seungcheol takes another car.

"Hey," Jisoo was there to greet him, his ever-soft eyes wide with curiosity. "You don't look very happy."

"I'm fine." Jeonghan replies flatly.

His fellow vocal teammate frowns, "Are you? Your nose is pretty red." Jisoo's voice is as gentle as his gaze.

Seokmin had turned around in his front seat at Jisoo's words, worry lining his strong features. "You okay?"

"Huh? Yeah." Everyone in the car turns to him. He might have replied a little louder than he thought he would. "I'm just cold. Seungcheol forgot to bring my jacket when I told him to."

Jeonghan would kill for a hole to come and swallow him up.

"Him again?" Jihoon groans from his spot in his tiny corner, taking one of his earpods out. "You two have _so many_ issues lately. I swear, you-" 

From Jihoon's end, the car door opens, stopping him mid-sentence.

"Is there space?" The brunet outside asks, voice cheerful as usual, rosy cheeks glowing. The vocal unit was now full strength as the atmosphere lights up briefly with the arrival of their main vocal number 2.

"Yeah, yeah. Hyung, move over." Jihoon responds, slightly annoyed. The atmosphere returns to being heavy.

The boys in the back seat all inch in Jeonghan's direction, Seungkwan barely managing to squeeze in.

"Thanks," The youngest of the unit chirps, pulling the door close behind him. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Right. Like I was saying-"

"-Nothing." Jeonghan cuts in.

The car ride back was a quiet one. 

Jeonghan lay his head against the car window, letting it bounce along to however the vehicle chose to rattle. As his skull knocked repeatedly against the glass, he thought about Seungcheol - The boy with the prettiest eyes he had ever seen. His lashes always so full and dark, framing his warm, chocolate irises that sat atop pools of white - They were deep with a gleam that reflected composure and wisdom - Definitely strength as well. At the same time, they were playful and adoring.

Maybe less so than they used to be. His chocolate eyes seemed lukewarm now.

Maybe, Jeonghan has yet to realize that he was upset with things other than Seungcheol's forgetfulness.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･° 

 

 

   


"What're you guys doing when we get home?" Hansol asks, breaking the silence in the car.

"Dunno," Wonwoo responds, droopy eyes glued to his phone, "We're the last to shower today." He finishes with his usual rumble.

Beside him, Mingyu leans over, lowering his head to rest on the older boy's shoulder, "Terrific. I love 3 hour waits." He rolls his eyes.

"You guys didn't answer." Hansol had instinctively moved closer to the door and further from the two cuddling. Sometimes, Mingyu had a PDA issue. Wonwoo usually didn't mind as long as they were not on camera. Also, the manager that typically drives the Hip-Hop unit is pretty chill.

"Hmm?" Seungcheol hums out sleepily from his seat at the front, lifting his drooping head. "Mr. Han wants to see me tonight."

"Ah, riiight," Mused Wonwoo, suddenly remembering Seungcheol's appointment. "We'll leave your change of clothes on the couch as usual, then. I think I'm heading to bed first." The scrawny rapper knew how wordy Mr. Han could be.

"Yeah, thanks. We're almost home."

"Get off," Mingyu's head was gently nudged away from the bony shoulder. He sighs, lazily rubbing his numb cheek.

As the car came to a stop, the 4 boys stepped out, pulling on their jackets and hoods. The other cars were already parked neatly beside them.

Seungcheol yawns lightly before starting off towards the elevator of their apartment, the rest following behind him.

"Wait, Wonwoo-hyung, wanna get some food?" Mingyu suddenly perks up, grabbing Wonwoo's hand in his. Wonwoo glances over before looking down at his slender, icy fingers entertwined with Mingyu's tough and warm ones.

"Right _now_?" Mingyu, it's 12:47." He states.

"But I'm _super hungry_ , we didn't eat anything since, like, 5." The taller male whines, swinging their arms around slightly in a pleading manner.

Wonwoo rolls his eyes and takes a deep breath, before exhaling sharply. "Okay. What do you want?"

"Let's eat blood sausages," The giant puppy suggests happily, moving to clutch onto Wonwoo's arm instead.

"Fine, whatever." The older boy turns to the rest, "Hansol, don't forget to prepare Hyung's clothes. We'll see you guys around, then." He gives a small wave and a smile before leading Mingyu off by their connected arms, the latter waving with much more spunk.

"Uh... okay," Hansol responds, lifting a hand to return the waves awkwardly. "See you."

Beside him, Seungcheol snorts, "Seriously, what's wrong with Mingyu?" His snort turns into a chuckle. "Let's go, Hansolie." He turns and continues on his way.

"Coming," The young rapper quickly trots after.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

   


Jisoo sets his bag down on the couch before slipping his coat off. "Who's showering first today again?" He asks.

"Performance!!" Soonyoung immediately yells across the room, his hand shooting up. Jisoo had to flinch at the volume.

"It's not like we would forget," Jun says with a light laugh, disappearing into one of the rooms after Minghao. Soonyoung lowers his hand and nods a few times in agreement. He turns to the maknae seated quietly on the floor beside him.

"Dino-yah," Reaching out to ruffle the short black hair, he gives a small grin, "You can go ahead first."

"Can I?" Chan's eyes enlarged in anticipation, fresh clothes already clutched against his chest. He had prepared and waited silently, already planning to be the last in the unit as usual.

"Sure," Soonyoung's smile widens as he removes his hand, his narrow eyes becoming slits, "I'm next though, naturally." He continues with a snicker. "Kids should turn in early."

"You're the best, Hoshi-hyung!" Chan was too elated that he didn't bother about Soonyoung calling him a child. He quickly pulls the older boy into a small hug before scampering off to the bathroom and closing the door shut.

Soonyoung's smile stayed as he watched him go, his eyes soft, before he moved on to observe the rest. Minghao and Junhui had fetched their clothes and were at the couch discussing something on their phones in Chinese. Jisoo was beside them, his legs folded neatly, flipping through a couple of TV channels. The TV's volume was low so that he didn't disturb Seokmin, who was dozing off at the edge of the couch. Jeonghan was no where to be seen in the living hall; He had probably already retired into his room to remove his make up. The sounds of plastic wrappers from the kitchen was Seungkwan looking for a snack.

Finally, Soonyoung's eyes landed on Jihoon. Jihoon, who was wedged in between Seokmin and Jisoo, was expressionless - His gaze was on the TV, but Soonyoung knew that none of the content was registering in the little composer's brain. He was far too tired.

"Jihoon-ah," He instinctively calls across the room.

Instead of Jihoon responding first, Jisoo whips around and puts a reprimanding finger to his lips, a slight frown present on his soft features. He jerks a thumb in the sleeping Seokmin's direction, making Soonyoung blink in realisation.

" _What?_ " Jihoon mouths when Jisoo was done with his scolding, looking over the older's shoulder. Soonyoung contemplates on whether to gesture him over, but decides to go over himself instead. The dancer reached out and took his hand, tugging him away from the couch.

"What?" Jihoon lowly hisses again, albeit not resisting Soonyoung's actions.

"Go get your clothes," He says gently, "Let's swap places. You can shower after Channie."

The petite boy blinked, taking his hand away from Soonyoung's. "What about you?"

"I'll shower after the rest of the Vocal unit. Don't you have work to do?"

"I do," Jihoon groans softly, rubbing his temples. "It's not going very well."

The dancer flashes an apologetic smile, "You'll figure something out. You always do." He lowers the composer's soft hands and rubs his temples for him instead.

Jihoon closes his eyes for a moment before sighing.

"Better?"

"Yeah," The small boy shifts his head away, running his delicate fingers through his bright pink locks. "I'll go get my things, then."

"Go on."

He once again watched as Jihoon left, but the feeling he gave was different. Different from Chan or anybody else. It was a feeling only Lee Jihoon could give.

Soonyoung reminded himself for the 7th time today that he was in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ASDFGHJKL thanks for making it this far ^^"


	2. ii.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more fluffs, things will happen in the next chapter i promise
> 
> warnings: junhui

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

The door clicks and Seungcheol pushes it open, Hansol close behind him. Chan had just gotten out of the shower.

"Coups-hyung, Vernon-hyung," the maknae greets, running his towel through his damp hair. "Where are the other two?"

"Getting food," Seungcheol replies with a small laugh, still amused by his teammates' strange decisions. "Who's showering next?"

"Hoshi-hyung."

"Woozi is." Soonyoung pokes his head out of the kitchen, mulpitle bottles and continers gathered in his arms. Jihoon looks up from the TV after hearing his name, his little button nose scrunching up like a bunny when he sniffles. "Yeah, we swapped." The composer added on to Soonyoung's words.

"Nice," Seungcheol flashes Soonyoung a thumbs up and a smug smile before turning to Jisoo. "Jisoo-yah, don't hold up the line again." Their leader scolds jokingly but firmly, his smugness fades and Jisoo knew he meant it.

"I'll try not to." He says with an embarrassed smile as Jihoon shoots Seungcheol a look from the side.

Meanwhile, Hansol nimbly side steps Seungcheol at the door and slips into the apartment, kicking his shoes off while unzipping his windbreaker. 

"Where's Jeonghan?" Seungcheol blinks, asking after realizing that the angel was not in the living hall with the rest.

"Room," Jihoon says simply, getting off the couch with the clothes he gathered. "Dunno what you said to him, but he was pretty bent." The composer raises a suspicious eyebrow at Seungcheol, disappearing into the bathroom and shutting the door without waiting for a reply.

Seungcheol's dark eyelashes flutter again. "How're you so sure?"

Jihoon had already gone.

"Well, he's the Vocal team leader?" Soonyoung calls from the kitchen. As usual, he was responsive to anything Woozi related.

The eldest pauses shortly. "...Right," He starts, "I'll be on my way. Stay out of trouble, you guys."

Seungcheol leaves through the door again, leaving the automated lock to do its job. Just how mad was Jeonghan tonight? He would usually take any chance to greet Seungcheol.

The Hip-Hop team's leader didn't let it bother him too much. He was to meet with the CEO tonight. His head was already pounding; He should make this as short as possible. With quick steps, he makes his way to the Pledis building.

Rubbing his hands against his thighs to warm them, Seungcheol regretted wearing jeans today. They weren't very comfortable or warm because they clung to his skin, although they made his strong thighs look enticingly firm and thick - An all time fan favourite.

He remembers that Jeonghan always compliments his jeans. If time allows, he will speak to him in the morning. And he will apologize.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Seungkwan-ah."

The main vocal looks up from the pot of boiling water, his large doe-eyes bright and alert.

"Vernonie," He greets back fondly, round cheeks defined by a small smile, "You're back."

"Yeah." Hansol enters the kitchen and moves over to where the shorter male was standing, arms naturally coming up to wrap around his waist. "I missed you." He buries his nose in the other's shoulder.

Seungkwan rolls his eyes jokingly but doesn't hide his amusement, "Stop it with the sap."

Hansol lifts his head and simply rests his chin on Seungkwan, a wide smile appearing on his strikingly handsome features, "Okay." He doesn't have to reach to peer over the shoulder. "What're you making?"

"Ramen. Do you want some?"

"If you're making it, sure."

"I think my diet is done for," Seungkwan mumbles under his breath, tiptoeing to fetch another pack of ramen from the shelf above him. Hansol pushes the vocalist's hand away and easily stretches his arm over the shorter head to get it instead.

"I think I like you better _without_  the dieting," He comments, his piercing hazel eyes meeting with Seungkwan's darker brown ones. Seungkwan quickly looks away and hums in acknowledgement as he takes the bag from Hansol, tearing it open.

"I can't, the company says I have to." The vocalist says with another sigh. "I hope one bag of ramen won't ruin it." He carefully drops the noodles into the pot before beginning to open the other pack.

Hansol doesn't respond and simply hands the other a pair of chopsticks. Seungkwan looks over at the young rapper as he receives them.

"What?" He says with a laugh, "Don't look so bummed, Vernonie."

Hansol lightly puffs out his cheeks as Seungkwan reaches to ruffle his wavy russet hair. "'Kay, but don't skip your meals."

"I _don't_ ," The vocalists says again, his laugh louder this time, "Look, I'm even eating supper." He takes his hand away from Hansol's head before dropping another serving of noodles into the pot.

"Okay. Good."

"Could you grab the seasoning?" Seungkwan gently prods at the noodles with the chopsticks.

"'Kay." The younger turns to look for the condiments in the other shelves, the apprehensive look not leaving his face.

"...Hm? Where are they?" He blinks after a while of looking, realizing that the shelves were rather lacking in spices and the like.

"Ahh, Hoshi-hyung must have brought them to his room again." Seungkwan complains, stirring the softened noodles, "That hyung, seriously."

"Oh." Hansol makes his way to the kitchen door. "I'll go get them, then."

"Ah, wait, Vernonie don't forget!"

"Forget what?"

"That I love you." Seungkwan says rather naturally, looking up from his cooking.

"...'Kay." Hansol smiles this time and leaves the kitchen, his sulky mood abandoned.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Myeongho. Junhwi." Jihoon calls, stepping out of the shower in a plain black shirt and sweat pants. He pushes his hair back, the bright pink dulled by its wetness, "I'm done."

"Coming," Minghao looks up from his phone with Junhui doing something similar. "Let's go." He pats the taller male lightly on the shoulder and stands up from the couch.

"Wait waitwait," Junhui blurts out, quickly hopping in front of Minghao and jogging towards the bathroom. The latter blinks.

"After you," He smiles triumphantly, pulling the door open and gesturing for Minghao to enter first. Jihoon had stayed to watch them, but he rolls his eyes and leaves.

The other dancer pauses for a moment.

"...You're embarrassing." He scoffs but enters anyway, mockingly punching Jun's shoulder on his way in. Junhui winces for the sake of it and slips after Minghao, closing the door behind.

"I can't believe we have people like that teasing us for swapping shower positions," Snorts Soonyoung from the kitchen, turning back to the shelves.

"Ditto." Jihoon goes over to help him. "I think the garlic powder goes over there."

In the bathroom, Minghao and Jun sneeze at the same time.

"God," Junhui sniffles, "Did you catch a cold?"

"If it's a cold then _you_ passed it to me!" 

Minghao turns away to tug off his shirt and Jun is left to admire his slender figure. The older dancer whistles lowly.

"Nice."

Minghao's shirt is thrown at him.

"Said something, Wen Junhui?" The younger threatens lightly, his elf-like ears slightly pink. He tries to shoot the taller Chinese boy a glare but an uncontrollable smile finds its way to his lips.

"Nope," Jun carefully picks the shirt off his face, dropping it into the laundry basket. "Just appreciating your beauty." He finishes with a grin. Minghao rolls his eyes again and proceeds to remove the rest of his clothing.

"Enough of that, we're gonna take too long."

"Yes sir."

Leaving his phone aside with the rest of their clothes, Jun quickly joins Minghao in the shower. He pulls the glass door close behind him.

"Well, HaoHao, it's just you and me." A little smile plays on Junhui's lips.

"Yes," the younger replies flatly, turned away to let the water run down his body, "Wash your hair." 

Jun sighs and reaches for the shampoo. "You're so boring."

"Hm? How would you like me to respond, then?"

Minghao suddenly finds himself pushed firmly against the walll. He winces as his back collides with the icy marble and when he opens his eyes, Jun had come close enough for him to shudder.

"Play with me?" The older breathes the words onto Minghao's cold cheek, pressing his lean body closer to his prey. Minghao's hand shoots up to push against Jun's stomach, trying its best to maintain some distance although his face was shyed away. The warmth radiating from the devil in front of him combined with the firmness underneath his hand made his heartbeat unsteady.

"W-What are you s-aying?" He stutters, tongue darting out to wet his suddenly dry lips.

"I didn't trip over my own words like you did." Jun quietly purrs.

"I told you," Minghao begins, regaining stability in his voice, "We shouldn't make the rest w-ait."

"Am I-"

Music suddenly erupts in the bathroom, playing an all too familiar tune. Junhui groans and Minghao takes the chance to shove the older boy away.

"Go pick it up," He says quickly, turning away to continue with his shower. Jun's groans get louder.

Grabbing his towel, he dries himself enough that he doesnt flood the floor before hopping out to grab his ringing mobile. He glances at the caller ID.

"Minghao, it's a bloody spam call."

"Great, now come and wash your hair."

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

Jeonghan hears a knocking at his door.

"Come in." He says, just loud enough for whoever was outside to hear. Jisoo pushes the door open carefully.

"It's your turn to shower," The younger quietly says, poking his head in. "The Performance unit is done."

The angel nods his head, "Okay, I'll be out in a bit."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jisoo furrows his eyebrows. "You can tell us, y'know."

Jeonghan shakes his head this time, "Stop worrying. I'm fine." He says with a light laugh, gathering his clothes. Jisoo pauses.

"Well... If you say so..." He responds, a skeptical look on his face. "Tell me when you're done. Soonyoung is showering after all of us."

"Yes yes," Jeonghan sweeps his long bangs to the side and makes his way to the door. "Go do something else first, okay?"

Jisoo retreats for Jeonghan to leave, "Uh.. Okay." 

"See you." The angel gives a little wave before going off to the bathroom. He couldn't get Seungcheol out of his head. Maybe he shouldn't have made such a fuss just now.

As he stepped into the shower and stood under the running water, he was reminded of the times they were here together. Seungcheol was always gentle with Jeonghan, carefully running his fingers through the long locks and while he played around with the water, he made sure to never get it in Jeonghan's eyes.

The shower was a little cold tonight with Seungcheol's absence. He quickly washes himself, leaving his conditioner in for just a bit shorter than usual. Jeonghan wanted to get back to their room; He wanted to sleep this bad mood away so that he could greet Seungcheol with a smile tomorrow.

He dries himself off and hangs up the towel for Seungcheol to use later on. They shared almost everything in this house, besides toothbrushes, maybe. Pulling on a random T-shirt he grabbed, he realized that it was too, Seungcheol's. Its scent made Jeonghan a little calmer. He folds in the oversized sleeves so that the shirt fitted him better, though Seungcheol always says that he liked Jeonghan wearing it as it is. But Seungcheol isn't here tonight.

"Jisoo, I'm done." The angel calls from outside Joshua's room, knocking a couple of times before continuing on his way. He didn't want to wait for Josh's response, he wanted to sleep.

When he arrived back at his shared room with Seungcheol, he dries his hair. It was always the most troublesome part of having long hair, but sometimes, if Seungcheol was home, he would help. Jeonghan had to dry it himself tonight, though.

He skillfully makes quick work of his hair, straightening it with his comb and the hair dryer. Looking in the mirror, the angel found that his eyebags were getting worse with time.

Would Seungcheol find him ugly? He quickly reaches for some cosmetics. He applies a gel to below his eyes, followed by some cream on his face before finally climbing into bed.

Hugging Seungcheol's pillow close to his chest, he took a whiff; It was filled with the same scent as his shirt - Jeonghan was content. He could sleep now. Closing his eyes, he quickly slips off into a deep slumber, finally allowing his exhaustion to take over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^^


	3. iii.

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

When Jeonghan woke up, it didn't smell like Seungcheol anymore. He wasn't lying on something soft, it was firm and cold. A floor? Nothing was in his arms, either. His eyes shoot open. The room he was in wasn't very well-lit. The grey walls were dusty and cracked, the tattered curtains barely covered the windows but the tears allowed Jeonghan to see that on the windows were wooden planks nailed into the walls.

He sits up, alarmed, the back of his black shirt more or less white with the dust from the floor. Although it was very faint, it still carried a bit of Seungcheol's scent.

_Where am I?_

Jeonghan looks around the room. It seemed like it was mostly used for storage, with cardboard boxes neatly arranged around. There was a light on the ceiling - Just a single bulb, but it looked like it was recently changed. Someone comes by here.

The angel stands up slowly and dusts off his clothes. He wasn't wearing any shoes because he was still in his pyjamas, he just hopes that there's some place to wash his feet later on. Cautiously, he makes his way to the tiny door in the floor that was situated in the middle of the room. He pulls it open - It was a stairway down and Jeonghan realizes that he was most probably on the top floor.

He thinks for a bit before descending carefully, closing the door softly behind him as he made his way. The next floor didn't seem any brighter than the one he was in.

Hearing his heart beat loud against his eardrums was frightening - Jeonghan didn't know where he was. He was rarely afraid because he always had the others.

He takes his last step and realizes that on this floor, there were only rooms. 3 rooms, he counts. He was in a house. Peering into the closest one, Jeonghan sees that its windows were given the same treatment, blocking out most of the light from outside. The room also seemed to be occupied, clothes and other belongings were scattered everywhere.

He flinches as he suddenly hears a familiar voice from downstairs.

"Hansol-ah, could you go fetch the hammer and some nails from the attic? This dumb shelf is coming apart again. It's becoming the death of me." It was Mingyu, obviously upset. The angel perks up.

"Okay," He hears Hansol reply chirpily. A warmth spreads in his chest; He quickly makes his way down the next flight of stairs and before he reaches the bottom, Hansol had appeared at the stairway.

Jeonghan sees him pause and so does he. There is silence for a moment.

"J-Jeonghan-hyung..?" The younger stammers, hazel eyes widening with disbelief. Jeonghan blinks; Vernon looked like he'd seen a ghost. The angel had wanted to call for him but closed his mouth after seeing the younger's expression. "How... Where..?"

"What? Hansol-ah, where are we?" He asks, moving forward towards the boy who had the face of a deer caught in the headlights. Hansol moves to take a step back but his heel never touches the floor.

"H-How did you get up here? Where've you been?" Hansol's voice was a little stronger than before.

"Hansol-ah, hurry, I can't hold this shelf forever! Who're you talking to?" Mingyu calls again.

Jeonghan blinks.

"Nowhere..?" He replies, "I went to sleep in my room and when I woke up, I was upstairs. In this place. Where is this?"

"This is... Our house," Hansol pauses for a moment.

"Huh?"

"Who're you-" Mingyu pops his head into the stairway. "... Jeonghan... hyung?"

"Mingyu," The angel greets with a smile. "I'm so glad to see the both of you."

The taller boy simply stares.

"... Mingyu?"

"Where were you?" Mingyu suddenly blurts out, almost angry, "We were all worried sick, Jeonghan-hyung! Why's your hair dyed again? Who's clothes are those?"

Jeonghan freezes at Mingyu's harsh tone.

"I-I wasn't anywhere. I was just sleeping and then..."

"Wait," Hansol suddenly says quietly after thinking for a bit, a huge contrast to Mingyu's yelling. "I don't get it."

"What?" Mingyu turns to him, impatient.

"Look," Hansol points to Jeonghan's hand and Jeonghan lifts it to take a look himself, "He isn't wearing his ring."

The angel squints at his hand. He was wearing a ring - The one that all 13 of them have. The one they got when they first became Seventeen. 

"What ring?"

"You're... right?" Mingyu says after a pause, his face softening, "Jeonghan-hyung, your ring. Where is it?" 

"What ring?" Jeonghan was getting rather irritated. He felt like a blind mouse in the dark. "Isn't it this one?"

"No," Hansol shakes his head, "The one Seungcheol-hyung got you. Where is it?"

"Seungcheol? He didn't get me one."

Mingyu's mouth drops. "Huh?" He furrows his eyebrows, looking back at Jeonghan. "He gave it to you in front of all of us. You are Jeonghan-hyung, right? There can't be 2 of you."

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Jeonghan-hyung!" Seungkwan and Chan exclaim after catching sight of the long haired male. Jeonghan smiles shyly - It was weird to think that these people weren't the people he was familiar with, although they seemed identical.

"Where were you?" Chan's tone was exasperated, "We were all so worried. Seungcheol-hyung couldn't sleep for days."

"Dino..." Jeonghan gives a small awkward snile, "I don't think I'm the Jeonghan you guys are looking for."

Chan seems to be surprised at Jeonghan's words. He blinks.

Hansol nods, "He's right. Look at his hand, Chan. The Jeonghan we know never takes his ring off."

"And this Jeonghan doesn't even know what ring he's talking about because they won't tell him anything," Jeonghan runs a hand through his hair to arrange it.

"It's your promise ring," Mingyu begins, sitting down on the tiled floor of the room they were in. He pushes the scattered belongings aside to make more space. "With you know who."

"Our Jeonghan-hyung really treasured it a lot," Adds Seungkwan from his spot beside Hansol. "We never see him without it."

"Seungcheol," Jeonghan suddenly tenses up, not finding the mood to be bothered by how he had such a thing with Seungcheol. "Where is he?"

"Working," Chan replies, "I don't think he's the Seungcheol-hyung you know either, though. If you really are 'another Jeonghan'."

"Working..? Where are the rest?"

Mingyu shakes his head.

"I guess I have to fill you in. Jeonghan-hyung, a year or two back, there was some sort of dispute in the US. Someone started a coup d'etat. We were there for a show and this isn't Korea; We don't know where this is. We snuck up a cargo ship to get here. People were using it to escape from all the fighting. Pledis stopped contacting us, Jeonghan-hyung. They cut all the telecommunication services in this place."

The tall boy pauses. He spoke seriously but something about him was unlike the Mingyu Jeonghan knew. The rest seemed to have dulled, too. The angel reminds himself yet again that these weren't the people he was familiar with.

"Before we knew it... Like, right now? There's the rich, and there's the poor. Let's just say we're not exactly part of the wealthy. For a while, we really had nothing. It was just the 12 of us. Seokmin didn't come with us that day because he was sick. We don't even know what happened to him," Mingyu sighs. "And finally, we found this house. Somebody abandoned it, so we fixed it up and decided to stay here. It's useless trying to leave, we tried everything. Somehow we survived till now, I guess... Just barely scraping through."

Jeonghan tries to digest everything.

"So what? You guys plan to live here forever?"

Mingyu thinks for a while.

"No... Maybe just until more news is heard from the outside. It's hard. This country is more or less blocked off from the rest of the world now. Nobody will come for us." 

"Wow, okay," The angel starts, "So... Where's the Jeonghan from here?"

"You disappeared a month and a bit ago," Seungkwan says, looking down at the floor. Jeonghan notices that the round cheeks he got so used to seeing were almost absent. "Just... All of a sudden. Without a trace. We thought somebody took you. And maybe they did. We don't know for sure because we haven't found you yet."

"The Jeonghan here _vanished_? That's unlike him." Jeonghan says worriedly but ends up smiling a little, it was strange yet funny talking about himself.

"Seungcheol-hyung thought so too." Hansol pipes in, "He wouldn't stop insisting that you didn't just go off on your own. When he wasn't working, he went around looking for you. We found nothing, though." He finishes, eyelids drooping.

"What about the others?" Jeonghan asks.

Mingyu chuckles a little as if at the angel's naiveness, "They're all out doing the duties we split amongst ourselves. We have to do everything here, Jeonghan-hyung. You used to be in charge of relations with the outside people. But most of the time, you stayed here with me to look after the kids. Seungcheol-hyung said he didn't want you running about too much."

"Um... Okay," Jeonghan says uncertainly. "When will they be back? I hope they won't be too startled.

"Most likely they will." Chan pretends to be unsure.

"Well," Begins Mingyu, "You're a different Jeonghan but I think you still deserve to know. We're really trying to stay on the low here, so. Anyway. Seungcheol-hyung should be back with Wonwoo and Jisoo-hyung soon. Performance team won't be here till evening-ish. And Jihoon-hyung..." He glances at the rest who more or less shrug their shoulders. "We don't really know. He kind of just turns up whenever."

"Oh. He works alone, huh." Jeonghan doesn't question it. "Well... Any ideas on how I can get back?" 

Seungkwan scratches his head. "We kind of need to figure out how you got here in the first place. Do you know?"

" _No_." The angel groans, folding up his legs to hug his knees. He rests his chin in them. The others sigh in exasperation.

"Nevermind. You could stay here in the meantime," Mingyu suggests, brightening, "Seungcheol-hyung would want to see you, no matter which Jeonghan you are. The rest too."

"Really?" Looking up from his knees, the angel casts Mingyu a hopeful look.

"Definitely," Agrees Hansol, nodding his head. "You're still Jeonghan-hyung." He finishes with a soft smile.


	4. iv.

 

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･° 

 

 

Mingyu returns to the kitchen with the tools Hansol fetched. Jeonghan was in the room talking with the kids, so he would fix the shelf in the meantime. Shifting the wood a little, the tall boy sees that the first 2 platforms on the shelf were loose. He just has to hammer a couple of nails in.

Seungcheol would be home soon, the matches usually ended early afternoon. And Wonwoo would be with him. Mingyu begins working, using a hand to keep everything in place while hammering with the other. He wonders if he will be able to speak with Wonwoo today. The pale boy had been avoiding him recently, thinking that Mingyu hadn't noticed, but the thing is - He had.

Why? Mingyu doesn't know. Wonwoo averts his eyes whenever they meet with the younger's. But today, Jeonghan came back. Mingyu doesn't care if he isn't the same one; Seungcheol would be more occupied and have less time for Wonwoo now. He's been waiting for this day.

Mingyu smiles to himself, hammering away. The hammer slips - Mingyu strikes his own fingers, but the boy doesn't flinch at the pain.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

Joshua counts the money he was handed, making sure to check that every note and coin wasn't a counterfeit.

"It's correct," He confirms, carefully putting the money into the leather pouch he always carries around. "We'll see you again." He smiles warmly but his voice is ice - He reaches to shake the hand of the small man in front of him. The man returns the smile, his fat cheeks swelling to make his already bloated face look even bigger, "Of course, Mr. Hong. We will be expecting your return." His voice is dripping with disgusting joy. The truth was: Jisoo wanted to leave and never come back.

Jisoo lowers his hand. _Nobody_ likes it here, not even the winners. His smile drops and he quickly makes his way over to where he agreed to meet Seungcheol and Wonwoo. Traveling a short distance from the arena, the familiar clearing in the woods comes into view.

"I got the cash," Joshua says gently as he goes over to the other two, his demeanor completely changed. "We can leave now."

"Thanks," Seungcheol looks up from his sitting position, giving a grateful smile - Jisoo feels a pang. Seungcheol's work was the hardest. "Let's get home, quick."

"Wait," Mutters Wonwoo, wrapping up a gash on Seungcheol's arm, "I have to finish first."

"It's just a scratch," Their leader assures, waving his hand dismissively, "We'll just put some meds on it later." 

"Yes, it's not very deep," Agrees Wonwoo, his skillful hands still working, "But let's not take any chances, hyung."

Seungcheol sighs, giving in. "Fine, fine." He stays still for Wonwoo to finish. 

Jisoo looks around to see if anybody had followed him. As usual, he finds no one, but always checks to be sure. People never dared to pick fights with them, but Jisoo knows that Seungcheol's name was on every blacklist. His and Wonwoo's job was to protect him.

Wonwoo finishes and gets up along with Seungcheol, who waves his arm around slightly. "Ah, your skills are top-notch," He says, never ceasing to be amazed by the how the scrawny boy dresses his wounds. "Doesn't hurt at all." 

"Mingyu taught me. It's temporary, I'll do it properly when we get back," Wonwoo replies quietly, packing up his medical supplies. He rolls up the bandages and gauze, tucking them into his white box before closing it. "Let's go."

"Maybe he could teach me too." Chirps Seungcheol, starting off back towards their house. "Then you guys don't have to always come along anymore."

"No," Jisoo and Wonwoo were equally against that idea.

"We _want_  to come with you." Jisoo continues, following along and Seungcheol laughs lightly, reaching to ruffle his hair. Jisoo frowns but doesn't move away.

"Seungcheol," Jisoo sighs, letting Seungcheol finish.

"Okay, relax, relax. I was just playing. You two need to loosen up." Seungcheol grins, jogging after Wonwoo and leaving Joshua to follow. Jisoo eyes Seungcheol's bandages, seeing that they were already beginning to become soaked with blood - He sighs. Seungcheol didn't act like someone who had just killed a man at all.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Dino-yah," Jeonghan begins, pointing at the windows of the room they were in. "Why're all the windows in this house like this?"

"Seungcheol-hyung wanted them like that, so Mingyu-hyung set them up," Chan replies without turning, "It's because we don't want people to know we live here. You can't really see the outside unless you go really close, but it's just the forest. We're pretty far from where all the people are."

Seungkwan takes Hansol's cup of water and sips it lightly. "Yeah. Big trouble if they find us."

"Why?" Jeonghan blinks.

"Most people don't know that we live together," The younger sets the cup back down on the floor. "Some of us have okay reputations - But some of us, not really. We'll lose all of it if people knew."

The angel furrows his eyebrows. "So we're... Criminals now?"

Seungkwan pauses to think, then chuckles when he realizes that what Jeonghan said was true. "Yeah, save Mingyu-hyung and the three of us, maybe." Jeonghan looks into his dark brown eyes; They are mature for his age.

"What do you guys do all day, then?"

"Um... Help Mingyu-hyung around the house, I guess." Hansol looks exasperated.

"I'm stuck here everyday," Groans Chan, leaning back with his arms stretched out as support. "I don't get to leave at all."

Beside him, Seungkwan laughs a little, nudging the maknae's arm, "You do. Just very rarely, maybe." He looks back at Jeonghan. "Vernonie and I visit the town often. Sometimes, we take Chan with us. We know almost everyone there."

"Yeah," Vernon adds, "And Mingyu-hyung does the housekeeping. He cooks, he cleans, he fixes things. Everything."

"Why's he the only one here?" Jeonghan tilts his head.

"Excuse me, we're people too!" Seungkwan says with fake anger. "It's because the others are really busy. We're here to help him, anyway." He smiles and bumps Vernon's shoulder with his.

Chan nods, already done with sulking, "We can't afford to keep anyone else in the house. Maybe just Jihoon-hyung. Nobody even knows what he does all day, he's just never here." He finishes, confused. Hansol and Seungkwan seem to agree.

"He won't tell us." Sighs Hansol, not reacting to Seungkwan's bump.

"He's the same as the Jihoon I know, then." The long haired male laughs a little but the kids don't really respond. There is an awkward pause for a moment and Jeonghan shrinks in his seat. He must've said something wrong.

"Actually, we're worried," Chan picks up the cup as well, holding it between his hands. "Sometimes he's not himself when he gets back. But it's kind of like he's never himself anymore." He takes a small sip.

They hear the lock.

Chan perks up like a meercat on guard duty, quickly putting the cup down, "They're back," He whips around to tell Seungkwan and Hansol, but they were already halfway out the door. He hops up after them. "Jeonghan-hyung, let's go!"

The angel is startled by their quick reactions; He blinks a couple of times. "A-ah, okay." Getting up after Chan, Jeonghan arranges his hair. He leaves the room following the rest but makes his way down the steps rather slowly. Seungcheol was downstairs.


	5. v.

  ☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

 

There is a chorus of names at the door as Seungcheol and the others step into the house.

Joshua smiles gently. "We're back."

"Welcome home!" Chan beams up at Jisoo as he pats his head. Hansol tries to avoid Jisoo's hand and Seungkwan giggles at him.

"Yo." Seungcheol flashes a grin before kicking his shoes off and Mingyu appears at the kitchen door.

"Seungcheol-hyung, Jisoo-hyung," He greets with a casual wave, "And Wonwoo."

Wonwoo locks the door and pockets the keys before his eyes look towards the kitchen. He nods his head slightly in acknowledgement, then looks away.

"Hyung," Seungcheol feels a tap on his shoulder, "Hyung, it's like a miracle."

Seungcheol looks down at Chan, "What?"

"We found-"

His eyes mindlessly travel to the foot of the stairs and what he sees makes him feel like he was plunged under water. Jeonghan blinks as their gazes meet.

Seungcheol gives the angel a once-over; Jeonghan tenses up, his chest tightens and it becomes hard to breathe. He wants to run over, over and into Seungcheol's arms but _this isn't the Seungcheol he knows_. He tightens his grip on the railing

"Hey," Jeonghan tries with a tiny smile, taking a few more steps forward. "Nice to..."

The angel trails off when Seungcheol suddenly lunges forward. He takes a few quick steps back again, alarmed - Only stopping when Jisoo lashes out to yank Seungcheol back by the arm.

"Seungcheol. Seungcheol, stop!" The younger yells, doing his best to hold their thrashing leader back. Wonwoo immediately goes over to help him, grabbing hold of Seungcheol's waist.

"Jisoo, what are you doing?" Seungcheol glares and hisses, twisting his arm about to break free. Luckily, Wonwoo was there to hold him. "Let go of me." His voice was dangerously low and in his eyes, blazes.

"Didn't you hear what Chan said?" Joshua says, steely and unsparing, "Maybe if you calmed down and listened."

Seungcheol blinks, his struggling dying down. His gaze travels to Chan who looked stunned. Seungkwan had pulled Hansol a distance away from Seungcheol's thrashing and was watching him like a hawk. There is silence for awhile.

"I said," Chan starts again, swallowing nervously, "He isn't our Jeonghan-hyung." 

Seungcheol squints at Chan, annoyed. "Huh?"

Seungkwan pushes Chan behind him as well, his leery eyes not faltering, "Looks like he's a Jeonghan from elsewhere. Stop looking at Channie like you're gonna kill him." He speaks calmly but his voice is laced with apprehension.

Seungcheol's face immediately softens. He is quiet for a while - Then he gently pats Wonwoo's hand to let him go. The skinny boy does, slowly. Joshua follows suit.

"Sorry. For a moment there, I..." He looks down, then back to the stairs. "They look... exactly alike."

"Yeah," Chan says in a small voice, peeking out from behind Seungkwan who still refused to move. "It's strange, but we don't know how or why either."

"O-Oh. I'm... Sorry." Seungcheol gives an awkward tight smile and Jeonghan feels his heart clench again. The way his lips pressed together and curled was the exact same. He glances up and down the eldest's body, only just noticing that Seungcheol's arm was bleeding. Everything else doesn't register.

"Seungcheol, your arm," Jeonghan says quickly, already going over - He doesn't listen to his mind telling him not to. Seungcheol looked rather surprised.

"What happened?" The angel reaches out to inspect it but stops his hand in case it would cause him pain. He frowns and turns to Jisoo, as if for an explaination. Jisoo didn't seem like he was planning to respond - The younger simply watched with cold eyes.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seungcheol says gently, smiling at the angel and taking his hand gently to lower it. Jeonghan notices that his smile was a little sad - He always could tell how Seungcheol was feeling. "I must've scared you earlier, Jeonghan...-sshi." He finishes awkwardly, his smile turning into a sheepish one.

Jeonghan blinks. "Ah... Just Jeonghan is fine. It's weird hearing that from you." He says with a nervous laugh. The tension was suffocating.

Seungcheol clears his throat in an attempt to diffuse the awkwardness. "Well, I assume you're just as lost as I am," he grins slightly and Jeonghan's heart skips a beat, "Fill me in later, kay? There are things we have to settle first. Excuse us." He finishes, gesturing for Jisoo and Wonwoo to follow. They trail behind quietly, only nodding slightly at Jeonghan to greet him.

Jeonghan lets them pass, not moving from his spot. He sees Seungkwan relax and step away from Chan, although his hand was still clutching onto Hansol's.

"That was..." Mingyu begins, coming over, mumbling. Seungcheol and the rest had disappeared upstairs.

"Expected." Seungkwan says, finally letting go of Hansol's hand. "Sorry if he startled you, Jeonghan-hyung." He rubs the back of his head, embarrassed. "Our Seungcheol-hyung is really... I knew what was gonna happen from the way he behaved when you disappeared."

"No, don't apologize for him. It's okay." The angel says quietly. He already misses Seungcheol. He almost didn't care that this one was another because they were so similar.

"... Anyway. I made lunch." Mingyu chirps, breaking the silence.

"Yeah, let's go eat." Says Hansol, quickly nudging Chan towards the kitchen.

Jeonghan perks up, "What about them?"

"They'll be down when they're ready," Seungkwan responds, already making his way over with the others. He turns back to the angel, "Come help bring the dishes out, Jeonghan-hyung."

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･°

  

 

"So," Seungcheol begins, swallowing his bite of food. "You woke up here today?" His bandages had been changed into fresh ones - They were done up with more detail.

"Yes," Confirms Jeonghan, reaching for more vegetables. "I'm afraid I'm really not who you're looking for."

Their leader hums, nodding, "That's... too bad." He says quietly. Jeonghan peers up from his bowl, Seungcheol's expression was forlorn as if the last shred of hope he had been clutching on to was lost.

"What do you plan to do?"

"I... I don't know." Jeonghan replies with a sigh. "I can't go back."

"You could stay with us," Their leader quickly says, perking up. Jeonghan sees the kids nodding enthusiastically from the side but Wonwoo and Jisoo didn't seem very thrilled. Turning to Seungcheol who was beside him, Jisoo hurriedly whispers something in his ear. Seungcheol just laughs and nudges Jisoo away playfully, "Yes, stop worrying!" Joshua looked rather offended.

Jeonghan furrows his brows.

"Joshua-hyung and Wonwoo-hyung are wary of you," Seungkwan says softly from the side as Hansol puts more veges into Chan's bowl. "They don't simply trust everyone around here. Don't take it personally, Jeonghan-hyung."

The angel looks back to Seungcheol who was also whispering in Joshua's ear; The only difference being that Seungcheol was all smiles while Jisoo looked genuinely concerned. He looks back at his food, taking another bite.

"Seungcheol-hyung seems to really trust you already, though." Seungkwan observes, continuing to eat as well. Jeonghan feels his chest warm up.

"It's settled," Seungcheol finally announces with a grin, Jisoo turning back to his bowl sulkily, "Jeonghan will stay here with us till he finds a way to get back to his world."

"Hyung... Are you sure?" Wonwoo asks carefully.

" _Yes_ ," Their leader emphasizes, "I'm sure. Don't talk like he's an outsider."

Wonwoo shrugs and silently continues to eat.

The kids break out into snickers and Jeonghan smiles, looking back at Seungcheol; He seemed happy with his decision and the angel feels safe knowing that Seungcheol welcomed him.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･° 

 

 

 

Minghao pulls down his mask as he arrives at the designated meeting place. He takes a deep breath of fresh forest air - The mask was suffocating but he didn't have a choice. He moves to sit behind the same veil of twigs and leaves, hidden from whoever came in the town's direction. Just a safety precaution - It was too deep in the forest for most people's liking.

He checks his bag; Today, his harvest consisted of three fishes and a bottle of cooking oil, since Mingyu complained that they were running out. He closes the bag again, leaning back against the tree to wait.

He is awoken by rustling. Minghao didn't notice that he had dozed off. His eyes shoot open, he sits up straight and quickly clutches his bag to his chest, reaching to pull his mask up. Junhui pushes the twigs apart, peeking in. Sighing in relief, Minghao loosens his grip. He could recognize Jun by his eyes.

"Minghao," Jun says quietly, "You're here already. Soonyoung?"

"Late again." Minghao replies, leaning back. Jun groans softly and carefully slips in through the twigs, settling down beside the younger. 

"If one of us were to get caught one day, it'll be him." He pulls his mask down as well.

"Well, clearly he knows what he's doing, so I don't think they'll catch him easily. But if he's gonna be late all the time, he should seriously just tell us to meet later." Minghao mutters, looking over at Jun. "What'd you get today?"

Jun opens his bag to check. "Vegetables, garlic and some spare ribs. I snatched the groceries from some lady." He says, embarrassed. "She was just zoning out and all. Easy target. I feel so bad, though."

Minghao laughs dryly, pulling his cap down over his eyes. "We don't have a choice, hun."

"I'm horrible," The older sighs, slumping over to lie on Minghao's shoulder. Minghao reaches to pat his head through his cap and jacket hood. The sun was beginning to set.

They rest there for awhile.

"Hey lovebirds," The two perk at the familiar voice. "Let's hit the road." Lowering his mask and slinging his bag over his shoulder, Soonyoung flashes a grin. Jun lifts his head.

"You're here."

"Late," Minghao adds on, getting up from his seat with Junhui following.

"Just by a couple of minutes. Aren't you two glad you got some alone time?" Their leader laughs, pulling down his hood. He takes his cap off, running his fingers through his blond hair before putting it back on, making sure to tuck every strand under it. 

"Kay, but everyone else is waiting for us." Jun says, dusting his and Minghao's pants off. 

Soonyoung cringes and sticks out his tongue. "You're right. Let's go."

"Soonyoung-hyung, what did you make today?" Minghao asks, beginning to walk.

"Blueberries!" Soonyoung smiles like the sun.

Minghao blinks. Blueberries weren't easy to obtain. "How?"

"I have my ways," Soonyoung says and peeks into his bag. "I also got oranges from that blueberry place, and a bit of rice. Now let's go, before it gets dark." He finishes with a warm glow.

 

 

☆．。．:*･°    **a far cry**    ☆．。．:*･° 

  

 

"You can sleep here." Seungcheol gestures to the only bed in the room. "We'll share. This is where our Jeonghan slept."

The angel glances over at it, then back to Seungcheol. He sees that there are also mattresses laid around. "How many people in a room?"

"Do the math, 4." Replies Seungcheol, opening the closet. "We're with Soonyoung and Jihoon. But it's usually just one or the other. Do you wanna wear my clothes? Or Jeonghan's?"

"I'll, uh, wear my own clothes." Jeonghan says stiffly, going over to peek into the closet. Seungcheol moves aside for him. The angel picks out whatever he thinks is comfortable.

"Bathroom's just down the hall. You can use the big white towel, but make sure not to use up all the hot water. We have 10 other people who need to shower too."

Jeonghan nods, turning to go off; He pauses when he remembers what he wanted to ask.

"Coups." 

Seungcheol blinks, looking up from the clothes. "Yeah?"

"No... You're just Seungcheol now, right?" The angel turns to look at him. "Seventeen is no more."

Seungcheol sighs and closes the closet. "Yeah. What's up?"

"Earlier, when you got back..."

"Ah, this?" The elder lifts his arm, but the bandages were hidden under his long sleeves. Earlier, they were just wrapped over his jacket. "It's nothing serious, really."

"No, how?" Jeonghan presses on, "How did you get that?"

Seungcheol pauses.

"Mm... I'll tell you another time," He smiles slightly, "Go shower."

The angel frowns, but maybe it was rude to pry. Hesitantly he continues, leaving Seungcheol in the room alone. Everyone seemed to be hiding something from him. Jeonghan wonders if he is actually safe here.

He makes his way to the bathroom and realizes that it was surprisingly bigger than the one back at home. Ironically though, it was a lot more lacking in toiletries. Save for 12 toothbrushes, there was more or less only one of everything else. There wasn't any skin products or cosmetics the angel was so used to seeing. He looked around for a hairdryer, but there wasn't even one of that. The soaps were of brands he'd never heard of and the words were all printed in english. He hopes that Jisoo or Hansol had at least read through them before they decided to buy those.

He steps into the shower because the bathtub looked like it hadn't been used in ages - There were almost cobwebs on the faucet. Jeonghan tugs off his shirt; Seungcheol's scent was faint, but definitely still present.

He dulls a little while looking at the black fabric. The members were all here but he felt so... alone. They treated him differently; Jisoo didn't even greet him when they met. The members aren't really here. He misses his Seungcheol. It didn't feel right talking to another one.

The shirt was left somewhere dry. Jeonghan didn't want to wash it because Seungcheol's scent might disappear. Nobody knew when they would get to meet again. He went ahead and showered, using as little water as possible, washing his long hair carefully. Very soon he was out of the shower, changing into the clothes that were rather stale. It seems the Jeonghan from here really hasn't been back in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ^^


	6. vi.

 

☆．。．:*･° **a far cry** ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Kids, we're back!" Soonyoung yells from the door, lowering his black hood. Junhui and Minghao enter after him, quickly unzipping their jackets of the same color. A head pops up at the stairway, "Soonyoung-hyung, welcome home!"

"Hey," The older boy grins in response, "I got those blueberries you've been wanting. Your favourite fruit, right?"

Chan blinks and quickly hops down the steps. "Oh?"

Soonyoung fishes out a small box of the fruit and the maknae is elated. He lets out a dramatic gasp, carefully receiving the box from his hyung as if it were a baby.

"You're welcome," Soonyoung says, proud as a peacock. Jun and Minghao had already gone to deposit their haul in the kitchen. With a little spring in his step, Soonyoung follows after patting Chan's head - Chan was like a little brother to him and seeing him happy always put him in a good mood.

Glancing over all the items laid out on the counter, Soonyoung studies them. To be frank, his team's catch wasn't fantastic today. He was a little disappointed with what they got but Soonyoung knows they did their best.

Sometimes, the other two would feel guilty about the work they do. Soonyoung was long over that. He could understand how Minghao and Jun felt, though he could never relate. To Soonyoung, feeding his family came before anything else. A large bulk of their necessities, including food, are looted goods. They didn't have the luxury of buying everything. Soonyoung steals because he has to. In this place, nobody plays by the rules.

He carefully empties the contents in his bag while humming an old tune, laying them neatly with the rest of the things for Mingyu to organize later on. Once he is satisfied, he pulls away from the counter and puts the bag away at its usual spot. He catches sight of Seungcheol as he turns to leave the kitchen.

"Soonyoung-ah," Seungcheol gestures him over from outside with a wave of his hand. "Come and sit."

The younger perks up, quickly obeying. He sees that the rest were already gathered in the hall.

"What's the occasion?" An easy smile graces Soonyoung's lips as he takes a look around. Everyone was present besides Jihoon. No one expected him to be here anyway. Soonyoung's smile did not reflect his emotions.

"Something we need to tell the three of you," Their general leader begins, folding up his arms. Soonyoung takes a seat on the floor as usual - There was a lack of furniture but it didn't matter.

Soonyoung blinks. "What?"

"A Jeonghan from another place came to visit."

 

 

☆．。．:*･° **a far cry** ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

After hanging up Seungcheol's black shirt, the angel makes his way down the stairs carefully. He still wasn't very familar with having to go down steps in a house. He could faintly hear the chatter of the others downstairs.

"There he is," Jeonghan suddenly picks out Seungcheol's voice. He stops just as Soonyoung appears at the stairway - The younger is leaner than he remembers. His white shirt exposed his noticeably toned arms and defined collarbones, and Jeonghan thought he was giving off the same vibe as a puppy meeting a stranger.

"Woah, hyung, you're really real." Soonyoung muses, his inquisitive eyes wide. He spoke comically just like the Hoshi back at home, his cheeks were just a little less chubby.

Jeonghan almost shudders when he feels Soonyoung's eyes thoroughly examining him.

"Anyways, hi! They told us all about you." Soonyoung flashes his trademark grin once he finished, lifting his right hand as a playful greeting. The angel notices a small star tattooed onto the underside of Soonyoung's wrist, where his veins were. The Soonyoung back at home didn't have one. The star was rather elaborate - Like the North Star of a star compass. The angel guesses that it was meant to represent "Hoshi". Although Soonyoung was scrutinizing him as if he were a criminal suspect, he did so quickly. He was definitely much more welcoming than Jisoo and Wonwoo were.

Soonyoung lowers his hand as Minghao pops out from behind him, pulling Junhui along.

"Jeonghan-hyung, hey." The younger Chinese boy says, waving Jun's limp hand. "We know everything, so don't worry about it." Junhui nods at Minghao's words.

"Oh." Jeonghan blinks. He was glad that he didn't have to deal with their surprise again. "That makes things easier." He finishes the rest of the steps, smiling, "Hoshi-yah, you've been working out." He casually comments, reaching to feel the younger's firm biceps. Soonyoung lets him.

"Uh, not really," He says with an embarrassed laugh, "Hyung, call me Soonyoung, okay?"

"Ahh okay." Calling them by their stage names was a habit of Jeonghan's. He goes to sit down with the rest and they all start chattering again - Asking him questions about him and his world and the angel tries his best to respond. Since he would be staying here, he should at least try to warm up to the rest. He lets himself forget that they are outsiders.

"What are we like in your world, Jeonghan-hyung?" Hansol's hazel eyes sparkle with curiosity.

"Hm," The angel thinks about what to say for awhile, "Hansol is a little less responsible." He smies and Hansol looked slighly upset. "He's like a kid, always clinging onto Seungkwan. He looks for him everytime he's not by his side."

"They're the same," Seungkwan laughs, waving his hand jokingly and Hansol scowls at him.

"You guys had something going on too." Jeonghan snickers. Hansol and Seungkwan immediately tense up.

"Huh?" Vernon quickly looks away, "What're you talking about? We have nothing."

The angel furrows his eyebrows, unconvinced. He glances over at Seungkwan who was silent, a soft smile on his face.

 

 

☆．。．:*･° **a far cry** ☆．。．:*･°

 

 

"Hey. Master thief."

Soonyoung turns to look at the voice's owner. Seungcheol closes the door connecting the porch to the house before going over. His aura, as usual, was that of a poised leader. The younger moves aside for him. "Hey gladiator." His weary gaze returns to the dark forest.

"The fuck?" Seungcheol laughs, taking a seat beside Soonyoung on the steps.

"Yeah, what the fuck?" The younger groans, exasperated, before resting his chin on his palm. The freezing night wind blows through his blond locks, but Soonyoung doesn't mind the cold. Not as much as Jihoon does. Seungcheol blinks at his unexpected outburst.

"... Well... How long has it been?" Reaching into his pocket, Seungcheol asks with a condoling sigh. He knew what Soonyoung was talking about. A day where Soonyoung doesn't sit out here on the porch at night was something Seungcheol has yet to see. The younger was usually alone when he wasn't out working. Seungcheol fishes out a pack of cigarettes, tapping the bottom end against the wooden floor.

"Like... I don't know." Soonyoung's voice softens. He lifts his head and looks down at his calloused hands, "Three days? Who knows if he's even planning to come back anymore." He wishes he never got that tattoo.

"He will." Seungcheol says quietly, opening the box. "He doesn't have anywhere else to go." He offers Soonyoung a stick held between his fingers. The younger looks at him for a moment before reaching out to take it.

"You'll be surprised." He mumbles, nipping the end of the joint between his lips. Seungcheol pockets the box, his hand returning with a lighter. He sighs.

"Actually, yeah... I've seen him when he comes back. Doesn't look like he's been out in the open just doing nothing." He lights Soonyoung's stick for him, blocking out the wind with a hand. The younger mutters his thanks before taking a few puffs, making sure the cigarette lights up with an orange glow.

"Aren't you going to smoke one too?"

"No, I'm trying to cut down."

"Whatever." Soonyoung wasn't in a good mood.

"Anyways. Sometimes he brings things back though. I have no idea where he gets them, but at least he's-"

Seungcheol is cut off by the younger breaking out into a coughing fit. He cringes and quickly moves to rub his back, "God. Did you forget how to smoke or something?"

"N-o," Chokes Soonyoung, tears pricking his eyes from violent hacks. You don't forget something like that. He turns to the side - The smog he coughed up was thick and hot. Sometimes, he just wanted to feel the burning smoke fill his lifeless lungs. It was dry and painful, but maybe it would help him get his head straight. Maybe it would help him accept that Jihoon was no longer just his.

"I"ll fetch some water if you want." Seungcheol says softly, worried, giving a few final rubs before withdrawing his hand. It scared him to see Soonyoung... Like this. The younger had his hurting moments but he rarely let them mess with his clarity.

"No, I'm okay." He was still a little breathless but it didn't stop him from putting the joint to his lips again. This time he takes a proper drag; The nicotine runs through his body, coursing through his cold veins and Soonyoung finds the familiar giddiness relaxing. It didn't allow him to think. He closes his eyes and slowly exhales, the smoke emerging as thin, grey wisps. His lungs felt pleasantly warm, numbing his tongue from the taste of the disgusting chemicals that he was already so used to.

"You're weird sometimes." Seungcheol hesitantly chuckles as he watches the younger surrender himself to the drug. Smoking obviously wasn't healthy, but Seungcheol felt strangely relieved watching Soonyoung. He was always all smiles but sat out here alone every night, cigarettes as his only friend. Seungcheol was frankly surprised when he saw that Soonyoung wasn't already smoking one.

He knew how the younger felt. Seungcheol thought he'd lost Jeonghan too, but he knew that they were only ever going to be physically apart. Soonyoung's bond with Jihoon seemed so permanent; Tattooed onto his skin. But somehow, a tattoo ended up being less significant than a promise.

They sit in a comofortable silence for a moment.

"Hey, hyung." The young thief begins quietly, more smoke rising into the cold autumn air with the fog from his warm breath. "I think... All those scars you have on your body from fighting?"

"Yeah?" Seungcheol glances over at him. His skin had long become a canvas for wounds. He often wore long sleeves to hide them.

"I have them here."

He blinks when he sees Soonyoung press a hand to his chest. Soonyoung pauses for a moment like he's thinking. He then lowers his hand, taking another puff from his cigarette. He never speaks about things like these.

"And I think..." The younger continues, his tired gaze never left the forest floor. "Because of me... Jihoon has them too."

Seungcheol dulls at his words. Everyone had thought that Jihoon and Soonyoung were running on fumes, but by the looks of it, Soonyoung was the one still coughing up fuel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's been 3000 years

**Author's Note:**

> everytime i post one of these i ask myself what i was doing a year ago


End file.
